The Brahmin And The Cobra

Once there lived a farmer named Haridatta. Haridatta was hard working and religious.

Though Haridatta was hard working, he had been always poor as the farm produce was meager.

One noon when he tired, he went and sat under the tree in the farm. While he was drinking water to quench thrust, he saw a cobra emerging from a nearby anthill.

Haridatta was religious. It occurred to him that the cobra is God in snake guise. He assumed that since the cobra burrowed in the farm, he must be the deity of farm and hence should be worshipped. ‘Perhaps, if I worship he will bless me with good produce’, the farmer thought.

Henceforth, Haridatta started offering milk to the cobra. He kept a plate with milk in front of the anthill and prayed, ‘O deity of these farms, I bow to you. Forgive me for neglecting your presence for these many years, but I was unaware of your pious presence. I am grateful that you have appeared and given me a chance to serve you. Please forgive me and accept this offering’.

Haridatta went home leaving the plate near the anthill.

Next morning when he came, Haridatta saw a gold coin on the milk plate. He took the coin as a blessing from the cobra and thanked him. He continued praying and serving the cobra. He was blessed with the gold coin each day. Soon, he became rich.

One day, Haridatta needed to visit the neighboring village for some work. Before he left, he asked his son to offer milk to the snake in the farm and keep his blessings. 

The farmer’s son offered the milk to the snake and returned home. Next day when he came, he was surprised to see the gold coin on the plate. He took the coin and thought, ‘The cobra fetches the gold coin from the burrow. I should kill the cobra and dig to collect all coins’.

So, that day after offering the milk, the farmer’s son waited behind the tree and watched. When he saw the cobra crawling towards the milk plate, he flung a bamboo on his hood. The cobra hissed and recoiled in defense. Then it sprang outrageously and attacked the farmer’s son killing him. He was cremated in the same far.

The farmer returned after few days. He saw his wailing wife and came to know how his son died in the farm due to snake bite. The farmer grieved his son’s death, but when his relatives suggested that the snake should be killed to revenge his son’s death and avoid any future attack, the farmer refused. He reasoned that snake killing is a sin according to scriptures and did not reveal that the cobra had been blessing him with gold coins for quite sometime.

The next day the farmer went to his farms. Before he started his work, he offered milk to the cobra and started praying. When the cobra heard the farmer, he emerged and said, ‘Farmer! You know your son died due my poison and you are offering me milk? I understand your greed for the gold coins brings you here’.

The cobra continued, ‘You are lead only by greed – you have no devotion or respect for me, nor do I see any pain in your eyes for your dead son. Your son attacked me to kill me in want of gold and I see the same greed in you. I am leaving you with this diamond in return for the milk you have offered me today, though I am not accepting the milk. I am leaving this farm. Never even think of any offering in my name’.

The farmer had no words. He was ashamed and filled with guilty.

Moral: Greed is not good. It destroys both moral and material standings.   
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